USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- We first first announced the collaboration with USCCA in June of 2017 after running some of their leadership through an early version of the instructor development process over the preceding Memorial Day Weekend.
The announcement was made amidst a fair amount of turmoil in the training community over their being ousted from the NRA Convention and that organization’s announcement of their competing insurance product backed by the intention to create a new training program of their own… outside of their training division. A little over a year later, our program is completely developed, launched and reaching students all across the country. The commitment that the USCAA made to me in regard to the integrity of the program and their ability to embrace the methods and techniques that I.C.E. Training has been successful with have been followed through on at a level that I honestly wouldn’t have expected from such a large organization with its own set of principles and momentum. How large?
How much momentum? Well, the USCCA is not just a leader in the firearms industry, it’s recently been recognized as one of the Fastest Growing Companies in the United States! That’s quite a feat considering the slump that the firearms industry in general has been in for the last couple of years.
It’s been a while since I have formally posted any type of update on the development and growth of the Defensive Shooting Fundamentals Program. The PDN Training Tour had me busy since March and there is always a lot going on… but, this seemed like a great time to share some information, with a large Instructor Development class being held this weekend in Wisconsin. This will be the second time that over 40 instructors candidates will be in one place (split into smaller working groups) learning to become better educators and possibly getting certified to teach for us.
After last month’s Instructor Development Course, where 25 people were certified, there was a ton of great feedback from the diverse group of instructor candidates, experienced instructors from the I.C.E. side and a new crop of lead instructors developed over the last year from within the ranks of the USCCA. Here are some excerpts that reflect the enthusiasm:
“Rob’s partnership with the USCCA and the collaborative effort to create the books, the eLearning modules, and live classes make this learning package by far the best training available for students and instructors.” Gary Peterson, NRA & USCCA TC, New DSF L1 Instructor
“...one of the best experiences I have had as an instructor candidate. I have learned, once again, to take a realistic look at myself as a teacher and know I need improvement and will continue to work in those areas for myself but more importantly for the students.” ” A strong organization has partnered up with another strong organization to present great opportunities for Members, Instructors, Training Counselors, and Students far and wide.” Tim Milligan, new DSF L1 Instructor
“The USCCA collaboration has been a long road that has been well worth the trip. This collaboration is making it possible for more people around the US to get the best information available when it comes to protecting themselves and loved ones.” Deryck Poole, Senior I.C.E. Instructor, DSF TC
“The drills were just the surface of this class. The philosophy behind them and the teaching methodology are awesome. I am already changing some of my teaching methodology. Making sure that I can answer the “why” questions. Not letting a student continue with a bad repetition. . . I would recommend this class without any hesitation.” Gary Dredge, New DSF Instructor
“This collaboration between I.C.E. Training and USCCA has been a perfect storm of ambition, content, resources, talent, and excellence! This program will service need of our fellow law-abiding citizens, neighbors, and friends to help them responsibly exercise their rights by learning and developing contextually relevant skills that may someday help them to efficiently defend themselves or the ones that they love. ” –Klint Macro, NRA & USCCA TC, I.C.E. Certified Instructor
After completing the Distance Education and going through the books in preparation for the course this weekend, Matt Mallory, an experienced instructor and training counselor in other programs, commented that the material “… is revolutionary and just pure genius!” in regard to the way it distills the fundamentals of defensive shooting.
A couple of months ago, this cool Mini-Documentary on the DSF Program Development was produced by Tactiholics during one of the last events we ran as a closed course before officially opening the new program up to the public. It gives some great insight from the leadership of both the Training Division at USCCA and the senior instructors from I.C.E. Training in regard to why this collaboration exists and why it is working. One thing that stands out is that it really is Team Effort that is making this work. After working with the content development team assembled by USCCA to create the new books, distance education and other supporting materials and running the first few courses, I have really been able to step back and let the incredibly experienced, dedicated and capable team of senior instructors developed over the last decade within various I.C.E. Training Company programs take over the process of developing the new leadership of this curriculum with experience USCCA Training Counselors. Jamie Onion, Deryck Poole and Barrett Kendrick have put in incredible amounts of time and effort over the past year. They lead the large instructor development course last month and will again be conducting the course this weekend while I am working on other projects. It has always been one of my goals to develop a team that could spread great information autonomously. We’ve done that with the CFS Program, the DFC Program, our collaboration with Gander Mountain Academy, various curriculum and instructor development projects with LE and Military agencies/units and countless teams of instructors at private ranges around the country such as Reno Guns & Range, Bristlecone Shooting Center and Cape Gun Works. This new program is ready to eclipse all of those previous projects with the reach and influence of the USCCA behind it.
As I’ve said repeatedly, I am very proud of this opportunity to work with the USCCA on this project. It is their first fully developed live fire curriculum and the second time I’ve worked with them on a major collaboration. I worked with them to create their first distance education program back in 2012 as well. They’ve also published several of my articles over the years and had me on their advisory board since 2009. Ultimately, it is the USCCA that decides what they put out under their brand and it is an honor to have been repeatedly tapped to contribute to their organization over the years. “Why?” you might ask… hear from Tim Schmidt, founder of the USCCA, himself in this Video… or hear from both of us about the collaboration in this discussion with ConcealedCarry.com.
If you teach defensive shooting skills (or want to), you need to check out this program. It is the most evolved curriculum in the community. There are scores of instructors and countless students who have contributed to it’s development over the years and I have no doubt that the exposure that this collaboration is bringing will push the program and the instructor team even further. Get Started with the Defensive Shooting Fundamentals, Level 1 book, or reach out to the USCCA for more information on become a DSF Instructor.
-RJP
About Rob Pincus
Teacher, Author & Entrepreneur. Rob Pincus is the owner of I.C.E. Training Company, developer of the Combat Focus® Shooting Program, Executive Director of the Personal Defense Network and Vice President of Design at Avidity Arms. He has been a full-time instructor for well over a decade and part of the firearms industry since 1997. He has taught various defensive topics around the world to military, law enforcement, & security personnel and those interested in personal defense. He has written 6 books, countless articles and produced over 100 Training DVDs. He has been featured as an expert in personal defense on dozens of TV and Radio programs and been a host or featured instructor in several seasons of shows including The Best Defense, S.W.A.T. Magazine TV and Trigger Time.